Debate launched over donor eggs for research

Controversial donation of eggs for scientific research has come under the spotlight of a public consultation led by a fertility watchdog.

At present women can donate eggs for use in fertility treatment but they cannot donate them for research unless they are already undergoing fertility (IVF) treatment or sterilisation.

Although eggs that failed to fertilise during IVF cycles can also be used, scientists argue that in order for scientific research to progress, greater numbers of good quality, fresh eggs are needed.

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The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has today launched a public consultation into the issue and is investigating whether women donors could be vulnerable and which potential safeguards could help.

It will ask the public and professionals whether or not IVF patients and/or women not having treatment should be allowed to donate eggs for research.

The HFEA's chief executive, Angela McNab, said that "more detailed and specific debate is now needed to help [us] to make a decision on donating eggs for research".

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"We know the importance of scientific development, but it is our job to ensure that it is safe and appropriate for the patients and donors that make it possible. If that is not the case then we must act to protect their interests," she said.

Professor Alison Murdoch of the North East England Stem Cell Institute told the Today programme that more women should be allowed to donate eggs for use in medical research as it could help find answers to conditions such as infertility, miscarriage and genetic problems like Down's Syndrome.

Dr Tony Calland, chairman of the British Medical Association (BMA) ethics committee, supported this calling, saying: "We [believe] that as long as women are properly informed about the procedure and are not pressured to agree, they should be able to consent to egg donation for research."

However Dr Stephen Minger, director of the Stem Cell Biology Laboratory at Kings College London, said that he believed that it is "premature" to encourage women to undergo the procedure for egg donation for scientific research.

Although Dr Minger supports egg donation for fertility research, he told the Today programme that egg donation for research involving cloning would be 'inefficient.

"I would argue that the vast majority of those eggs are not going to be used, because the efficiency of this procedure [cloning] now is really in debate and it may be as little as one in 500.

"So until we've improved this procedure and get it to an efficient level say of ten per cent, we're going to need literally hundreds of eggs and that means very large numbers of egg donors."

He added: "I just don't feel it's acceptable at the current time to encourage women who undergo a still somewhat risky procedure, it's very invasive, to donate eggs for a procedure that at the current time is just not efficient enough to make this worthwhile."

Clare Brown, chief executive of Infertility Network UK, said: "Without research treatments for infertility which have helped millions of couples worldwide to have a child, where without it they might never have achieved that dream before, will never improve.

"However, we believe it is vital that all aspects of any research, especially when it involves donated eggs, should be carefully thought through and discussed."

The consultation is open until December 8th and the HFEA will make a decision by February next year.

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